


Try Not to Muck It Up

by faintingviolet



Series: Eddie Prompts - November 2020 [5]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Teachers, Buck reacts not great, Eddie is new to the school, Falling In Love, First Meetings, Jealousy, M/M, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:27:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27584756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faintingviolet/pseuds/faintingviolet
Summary: November 15th - Day 7: “I’m not always this forward.” + auEvan Buckley walked into the all staff meeting that started each new school year excited and feeling like he had the tiger by the tail this year. He was through his probationary term, was on his way to tenure, and had spent the summer relaxing, but also getting ideas together for the next year. He had his eye on raising his profile, getting more experience, and excelling. He’d found his place and was excited to see what the new year held. He was not ready for Eddie Diaz.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: Eddie Prompts - November 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2016341
Comments: 2
Kudos: 88





	Try Not to Muck It Up

Evan Buckley walked into the all staff meeting that started each new school year excited and feeling like he had the tiger by the tail this year. He was through his probationary term, was on his way to tenure, and had spent the summer relaxing, but also getting ideas together for the next year. He had his eye on raising his profile, getting more experience, and excelling. He’d found his place and was excited to see what the new year held.

He slid in next to his department head, waiting for the principal to begin her opening remarks so that they could get this meeting over with and the planning week could begin in earnest.

“Buckley, good to see you.”

“You too, Nash. Have a good summer?”

“Spent it dragging my stepkids around to National Parks when my wife could get time off. May pretended to hate it, but Harry’s enthusiasm eventually won her over. Athena was just excited to be somewhere that she could pretend she didn’t have cell reception.”

“Sounds good. What about you Wilson?” Evan asked as Hen Wilson took the seat on his other side.

“It was good, short, but good.”

“Same.”

Evan had gravitated towards a group of more experienced teachers; Bobby Nash was the head of the Social Science department and had been his mentor his first year. Through him he’d been introduced to Henrietta Wilson and Howard Han from the Science Department – the pair split the department responsibilities between them each refusing to be in charge of the other. This year he’d managed to get a room reassignment and was now on the same hallway they were. He had stood quietly inside room 118 before walking over to the meeting just soaking in the feeling of being there, the sensation of arriving home.

The principal began her opening remarks with the to be expected cheesy education joke that principals never got tired of telling. He was distracted though by a silhouette against the side door to the auditorium, whoever it was looked to be scanning the room for someone. He leaned over to Wilson, getting her attention, and turning it towards the figure at the door.

“Any idea who that is?”

Before she answers Evan she raises her hand and flags down the other man who starts making his way towards them, so she must know who it is.

“Yes. That’s Eddie Diaz, new addition to the Science department. Han and I were able to lure him away from Westside. He’s a superstar – some of the best AP student scores I’ve ever seen.”

Diaz had made his way to them, sliding into the open seat on the other side of Wilson and nodding a quick hello before leaning in and saying something that made Wilson laugh under her breath. Evan immediately felt something like jealousy rise up in him. These were his friends; he was the hotshot young teacher in the group of seasoned excellent educators.

What did this very handsome man think he was doing infiltrating his place?

 _Oh. Well, that explains it_ Evan thought to himself. He knew himself well enough to know that he tended to puff up like a peacock when he was attracted to someone, it brought out his competitive side. He was working on it, it was counterproductive.

Once their principal had wrapped up her remarks and given them the schedule for mandatory meetings and trainings during the week they were released to their department meetings or to work in their rooms. Before he could even begin to think about how he was going to extricate himself Wilson turned to him to make introductions.

“Evan Buckley, meet Eddie Diaz. He’s taking over Bio I AP and regular and he’ll be your neighbor. Lab 119.”

 _Of course. He would be right across the hall all year._

“Nice to meet you.” Evan gave a curt nod, already annoyed with himself for not being able to be as open and welcoming as the people around him. He would have to deal with this sooner rather than later.

“Likewise.”

Bobby Nash, as usual, saved him from himself. “We’re heading over to our rooms now if you want to walk with Buckley and me? Wilson and Han have their meeting with the principal in a few.”

All department heads had one on one meetings, or in the case of science, two on one, with the principal on the first planning day back. Science was up first this year, Social Science second.

“Sounds great.”

The three men made their way to the hall that held their rooms, Bobby constantly chatting to Eddie as they went, which made the man feel more relaxed.

Eddie hadn’t expected a completely warm welcome within the department, he was sure at least one other teacher was going to have been gunning for the position he now held, but he wasn’t expecting a cool reaction to his presence from outside the department, and Evan Buckley was a bit gruff with him, and from the look on Bobby Nash’s face that wasn’t typical.

“When they did a retrofit of the labs a few years ago Han, Wilson, and I pestered the Assistant Principal in charge of room placements for over a month to get on this hall. It’s the only one that’s both labs and regular rooms, so it was the only place we could be together.”

“Its good to have colleagues you want to be around.”

“Crucial to a happy work environment in my opinion, don’t you agree Buckley?”

“Of course, I bribed the same Assistant Principal with baked goods as soon as word got out that Smith was retiring last spring and his room was coming open to get here with you all.”

 _Oh_ , thought Eddie, _that explains it – he was looking forward to the established dynamic and here I am mucking it up a bit_.

“I look forward to taking your lead, any hallway worth bribery is worth maintaining,” shooting Buckley his best, warmest smile. It wasn’t hard, he was a good-looking man.

It seemed to work, Buckley’s shoulders relaxed, “I hope you enjoy costumes, pranks, and decorated doors. There isn’t a school spirit activity that Han and Wilson won’t do, and they drag Nash here along for the ride.”

“Hey, I like fun.”

“Sure thing, boss.” Buckley gives Eddie a thousand-watt smile as they make the turn onto their hall, and yeah, that was going to be a thing he was gong to want to see as often as possible.

Eddie spent the morning moving boxes into his lab, running back and forth to his truck with a cart. He spent longer than he wanted to staring at the space, deciding what layout was going to suit him best. If he occasionally peeked out the window on the door to see if he could spot Buckley, what of it? He refused to be disappointed that lunch on his first day doubled as a Science Department meeting, particularly with the quality of food they dug in to.

The week continued on much the same, meetings, lunches both with and without the other teachers on the hallway, wandering back and forth across the hall to make conversation with Buckley when he got up the courage, sometimes hiding behind asking for banal things like tape and sometimes just bravely grabbing a seat and chatting. Things had defrosted quickly between them, and Eddie was excited about the friendship it seemed they were building. Heck, he’d told him all about his son Christopher and his divorce from Shannon on Tuesday, and Eddie didn’t usually talk about his personal life with people he had just met.

He was focused on getting his assigned tasks from the department meeting handled before he headed out for the day Thursday when he heard the soft knock on the door and the _wuft_ of it opening.

He was not upset to see Evan Buckley leaning in the doorway.

“What’s up, Buckley?” Eddie acknowledged the other man but didn’t really lift his eyes from his computer screen.

“Just wanted to ask you a question.”

“Shoot,” he stopped typing and turned to give Evan his full attention.

“You interested in going out tomorrow?”

“You all do Happy Hour? My previous department did too.”

“Yes, we do at least once a month, but I was actually meaning just you and I?”

Eddie paused, “I just want to make sure – are you asking me out on a date?”

“Yes, if you’re interested. If not, no worries. Thought I’d see, just in case.”

Eddie took a moment before answering. He wanted to say yes but was that a good idea? He’d have to spend each workday for at least the next year right across the hall from Evan Buckley and if this went poorly it would make for lots of awkward small talk. But he felt a pull towards the other man that he hadn’t felt about anyone in a long time.

“I’m not usually this forward, well, not much anymore, but I’ll take that quizzical look on your face and lack of answer as a no. Seriously Diaz, don’t worry about it, we’re good on my end.”

“Wait, Evan, you gotta give a guy a second. I’d like to.” If Eddie was surprised by his own answer, he kept it off his face, “I’m not sure I can get a babysitter for tomorrow, don’t know if my Abuela or Carla is available.”

“Well, why don’t you let me know what night works for you then?” There was that thousand-watt smile again, and Eddie was starting to think he’d say yes to nearly anything to see it all the time.

“Sounds perfect.”

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are welcome and appreciated


End file.
